Looking to bounce back from its National Invitation Tournament loss against Washington last year, the men’s basketball team will kick off its season Saturday as it welcomes Caltech to the Walter Pyramid for its homecoming game.
The 49ers have won five straight sellout homecoming games.
While Caltech is a Division three team, the Beavers lead the their series 3-2. The teams haven’t met since 1955.
LBSU entered the 2016-2017 season favored to win the Big West according to a media panel that did the preseason Big West Poll. The 49ers got 19 first-place of the 23 overall votes. UC Irvine and Cal State Northridge are projected to finish in the top three.
The 49ers are favored due to the amount of returners they have coming back, which is highlighted by junior point guard Justin Bibbins and junior forward Gabe Levin – both of whom were named to the Preseason All-Big West team.
Last season, Bibbins led the team with 164 assists, which is the third most in a single season in LBSU history. Along with his assists, the junior also finished the season with a 85.5 free throw percentage that ranks second in 49er history.
Levin will make an immediate impact. Last season Levin averaged 9.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game in his first season at LBSU, earning honorable mention All-Big West honors.
Along with Bibbins and Levin, junior guard and Loyola Marymount transfer Evan Payne will make an impact after averaging 16.7 points per game over his two years with the Lions.
LBSU will look to start the season off with a win when they tip-off against Caltech Saturday at 4 p.m.